HMT or its full title of Hindustan Machine Tools was incorporated in 1953 by the Government of India as a machine tool manufacturing company. Today, HMT Group comprises six subsidiaries under the control of a holding company, which also manages the tractor business directly.

HMT’s tractor business commenced its operations in 1972 in technical collaboration with M/s MOTOKOV, (Zetor), of Czechoslovakia. HMT started the operation with the manufacture of 25 HPtractor at the manufacturing plant in Pinjore, Haryana state. Over the years, it has developed tractors ranging from 25 HP to 75 HP.

During the early to mid-1990s, American Jawa Ltd in the U.S., (American distributor of Zetor), imported various HMT models under the Zebra brand name.